Not long ago, fine-dining in downtown Wheaton was almost as rare as an atheists’ convention. That’s because for most of the last 80-odd years, Wheaton was a dry community, and most restaurateurs believe that alcohol sales are crucial to profitability.
Indeed, proponents of the 1985 referendum that finally overturned the liquor ban argued that liquor sales were needed to revitalize a moribund downtown. The process was slower than expected–the first drink wasn’t poured in downtown Wheaton until 1987–but now the city has quite a bustling little restaurant district.
Two things make the downtown especially appealing for restaurant-goers. First, a parking garage offers plentiful and free parking just steps from restaurants and shops. Second, the restaurant mix is remarkably varied, embracing Spanish, French, Mexican and Vietnamese concepts and a first-class seafood restaurant.
Here are some of the highlights:
Cochon Sauvage (1060 College Ave., 630-784-8015): A few blocks east of downtown, this spacious and charming bistro is the casual cousin to the upscale Les Deux Gros in Glen Ellyn. The dining area is warm and inviting, its burnished red walls hung with framed art and porcine iconography (cochon sauvage means “wild pig”). An outdoor patio is a big draw in the summer. The menu includes most bistro classics, such as steak frites, moules frites (mussels with fries) and onion tart, and the signature entree is a grilled pork chop with sage jus and sweet-potato puree. Don’t miss the profiteroles for dessert.
Front Street Cocina (112 N. Hale St., 630-668-2837): This convivial Mexican restaurant used to be on Front Street, but moved around the corner into more spacious quarters a few years ago. Here you’ll find a wide assortment of familiar Mexican dishes, with a few Tex-Mex creations (including a Gringo Quesadilla, which is actually pretty good). The margaritas are made fresh and taste it; the homemade chips and coarse-chopped salsa are so good customers buy them to take home. And the entire restaurant is smoke-free.
L’anne (221 W. Front St., 630-260-1234): The newest downtown restaurant is an ambitious Euro-Asian hybrid whose decor features a bamboo floor and a silk-draped ceiling, plus a granite bar and lattice-trimmed windows. The menu blends French, Thai and Vietnamese influences, creating dishes such as roasted chicken with lemongrass-thyme seasoning over pad Thai, and dungeness crab in garlic-caviar sauce over scented rice.
Luong Loi (110 N. Main St., 630-653-8250): You don’t come here for the elegant decor; the look of this Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant is clean but unimpressive. But with a menu in which most dishes are less than $10 and every dish less than $20, Luong Loi can pull in locals even without embroidered napkins. Vietnamese dishes outnumber the Chinese and include well-made grilled pork strips seasoned with lemongrass and topped with peanut sauce. Lunch is a conspicuous bargain, offering a number of entrees with rice and eggroll for $5.95.
120 Ocean Place (120 N. Hale St., 630-690-2100): Praise the Lord and pass the abalone; this excellent seafood restaurant resides in a building that once housed a chapel, and has the soaring ceiling and stained-glass windows to prove it. The wide menu offers plenty of appealing choices, including excellent ice-cold oysters. An outdoor patio is a great summer destination.
Suzette’s Creperie (211 W. Front St., 630-462-0898): Owner Donna Hesik used to sell her crepes from a cart at Wheaton’s weekly farmers’ market in the summer, but for the last 22 months customers have crowded into her cozy creperie for lunch, dinner, afternoon tea or Sunday brunch. Dishes include basics such as ham-and-cheese crepes, and more elaborate concoctions with shrimp, peppers and coconut-lime sauce, plus straightforward entrees such as lemon sole. And of course, there are plenty of dessert crepes.
